Piper PA-28-181 accident near Steinhatchee, Florida, July 23, 1986
On July 23, 1986 at about 1:13 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N6151J, was destroyed in an accident near Steinhatchee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1986 · about 1:13 pm local time
- Place
- Steinhatchee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N6151J · no longer on the register · serial 28-7690354
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON 7/23/86, ARTCC LOST RADAR & RADIO CONTACT WITH THE ACFT WHILE THE PLT WAS IN LVL FLT AT 6000 FT IN AN AREA OF LVL 3 & 4 THUNDERSTORMS (TSTMS). TWO DAYS LATER, THE LEFT WING PANEL & THE TIPS OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILATORS WERE FND IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE CONTACT WITH THE ACFT WAS LOST. ON 7/26/86, THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS FND APRX .8 MI FURTHER TO THE SW. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF UPWARD FAILURE OF THE WING & DOWNWARD FAILURE OF THE STABILATORS, BOTH FROM OVERLOAD. NO PRE-ACDNT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THE PLT OF ANOTHER ACFT RPRTD THAT HE NOTED A LARGE 'WALL' OF CUMULUS CLOUDS IN THE ACDNT AREA; HE DIVERTED TO AVOID THE WX.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 349 hours in all; 262 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 2,770 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,199 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 11, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sundowners Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: FMY Ft. Myers FL at 11:20 am
- Destination: TLH Tallahassee FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from GNV, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.